Five Nights in the Dark Forest
by lattesmores
Summary: Redtail gets the job at local pizzeria resturant Scourge's Dark Forest and gets in up to his neck, but ends up finding an old secret that may be just what he needs to help him survive a job he's tied into.
1. A First Night

Redtail pushed through the two large glass doors of the food joint, the lights dim and not as colorful as when he had been here during the day. His ears swiveled around as he carefully allowed his gaze to sweep over the building. Redtail turned around, hearing a small cough behind him to bring him out of his daydream of the daytime. He focused his gaze on the cat behind him, a white and black cat staring at him. _The owner? Manufacturer maybe? Who would stay here after hours unless it was for reasons like this?_ Redtail, confused as he was about this cat looking neither like any high rank nor a manufacturer of the place dipped his head, sticking out his paw to shake hands with Redtail. Redtail felt confused but stuck his hand out anyways. The place gave him an eerie feeling, one that smelled like death and fear, a nighttime scent from the smell of it. After a firm shake, the cat introduced himself. "I'm Bone." Redtail nodded. "Redtail. Redtail Thunder." Redtail inspected Bone closer. He had an odd name, as far as he knew all the residents of Forest-Lake City had two-word names. But on top of that there as his wardrobe choices. A rainbow-colored collar, decorated with different dog teeth and cat claws and so many other sharp weaponry that made Redtail take a step back, suddenly distrusting of the cat. But he followed him to the office. "The interview has already been done over the phone, all that's left is your office and hours. I'm glad you took this job, sir. Not many have decided to take it since the Slash of '87. Don't worry 'bout it, that's forever ago not today!They're fine, your fine!" Bone explained, tail lashing. Finally they reached the end of the long hall, and Redtail poked his head inside. "This is where I work?" He asked, looking at a dreary office clearly older than the animatronics there. Cobwebs lined the place, and it smelled of death and fear, bloody scenes that made him flatten his ears in horror. He pushed it away, removing the headache that was a-knocking at his brain's door, and he turned around. "Do I have to clean it up?" Bone shook his head. "No, but if you want to go right ahead. And if the scent is too overwhelming, don't fear. Just because all of our guys di-uh, quit doesn't mean anything bad will happen to you! It's almost time for your first shift, have fuuun~" He left, as if in a hurry to get out suddenly. Redtail sighed and sat down, adjust the leather spinning chair to his comfort. He tilted the clock his way.

12:00.

Redtail sighed and sat down, almost falling on his face and onto the dusty floor when the phone rang. _WHO CALLS A CLOSED PIZZERIA'S NIGHT WATCH NUMBER AT 12:00 FREAKING AM!?_ He screeched in his head, punching the speaker button with frustration and then cleaning up a bit. But as the phone continued talking, more of his questions were answered- some he hadnt real thought of until then, and some answers not what his heart was looking for, his ears flattening.

Finally the call was over, and he was practically shaking out of his skeleton. It was 3 now, the animatronics would be coming soon. Would they really kill him? These cats seemingly so nice in the day? The Slash of '87... No wonder they had ran past Riverclan Stage, and his parents had had mixed feelings about him getting a job here. He shuddered. Would he survive the night? He hoped so, and began tapping around on cameras, fur bristling and eyes wide in fear and suspense. It was 4:00, and just like that the camera went black, thumping noises filling his ears as they rumbled from the speakers. Stepping noises. "Shit!" he managed to squeak out, fear flooding him all over again. He checked the camera again, noticing it's normality again. His ears flattened. Tigerstar had left the stage, the black-furred cat animatronic, Scourge his name was, and Mapleshade were still there. He flicked through screens until coming across the cat. Jumping at the cat'scold, dead eyes glaring into the camera with a air of hatred not there before. "T-Tigerstar...?" He murmured, remembering how the cats had entertained him in the old days, especially Tigerstar. He felt tears forming. It was like an old friend cutting open your throat in a battle of life and death. "P-Please don't do this..." His voice retreated deeper into his throat, a whisper now. His fingers tapped the back of the tablet, and he turned back to the stage, shaking in dry sobs mostly silent and in the terror that had engulfed the dark night. _R-Rain, Rain, G-Go Aw-awa-Shit._

Mapleshade was gone.

"Ah, shit! Why don't we just get Scourge in the fucking party?" He screamed, his afraid voice now a roar of frustration. One was bad enough, but two? As he snapped himself back into the existence of the deadly androids, he realized that Mapleshade was in the party room, her shillouette all he could see as she pressed her metal whiskered face into his lens. Then she disappeared in a screen of black. He flicked to the Supply Closet, ready for what he saw. Tigerstar was hanging out among the cleaning supplies and few spare parts that had come in the box that were over the order's demands by accident. A spray bottle tipped over onto the tabby's face, clunking to the floor, and the screen went black. Though rage and fear engulfed him deeper into the black obis he already was in, he looked around for Mapleshade. _She's not anywhere, not even at my doors... Wait, what was that?_ Pots and pans tumbling to the floor informed him of Maplseshade's location, a sigh escaping his throat. He turned to the West Hall and screamed. Tigerstar wasn't there, leaving him with only one option...

Shaking, he turned to the door. "Tigerstar? Remember me? Your best friend?" He flashed a smile as he looked at the metal brown tabby. His amber eyes were cold, and he whimpered in sadness and fear as betrayal crept up his throat like bile, closing the door on his former friend. "M-maybe they're programmed to do this?" He wondered aloud before noticing a certain something in the hallway was different. Mapleshade grinned, her white fangs shining in the darkness, he reached for the door, and there was sudden darkness. The doors released. He had failed to look even once at his power. Expecting for his once-friends to end the night already, he was met with a sudden ringing that lifted his heart. He raced outside as the sun rose above his head, his eyes grateful and teary. He met with the glass doors at once, pelting outside and not stopping until he finally reached his home. "STARCLAN'S SAVED MY ASS!" He yowled as he burst through the door, crashing onto his sofa with relief. "I live!" As he sat there, catching his breath, he was suddenly reminded of something.

He had another night ahead of him.

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	2. Confrontation

Redtail awoke drearily, signing as the sun set at his den entrance. Looking out at the pink-and-purple horizon, he couldn't help but feel all of Hell's dread in his heart. _Another day of that bullshit. Can't read the fine print for anything, can you Mousebrain?_ Redtail scolded himself in his head. From behind him came a small confused mew.

"Redtail? What's wrong?" Amberlight mewed from behind him, causing the tom to whip around with a stifled screech. His orange- and- white mate seemed overly worried for him, and he knew he had to come up with something fast.

"Er, second day jitters!" He stuttered out, yet knowing his mate would dig deeper.

"Aren't those just first-day ji-"

"SORRY HON IT'S GETTING LATE I SHOULD REALLY BE OFF NOW!" Redtail practically flew out the den on worry-powered paws, and didn't stop till he made it to his job. "I need a talk with this fellow." He hissed, shoving his way deeper into the abandoned Twolegplace. The place was empty- it was already 10:56. A shudder escaped him, but he purged deeper into the darkness. Bone turned around as Redtail entered the office.

"Ah, just you..." He murmured wickedly. "Enjoying another night here? Ahuhuhu!" He seemed to have changed from last night. Redtail didn't like how his voice sounded- wavy with blood and murder, happy at the sight of death. Redtail wasn't.

"Why did that happen last night? Why are you like this today?"

"Because you didn't DIE! YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO DIE SO I COULD LAUGH HARD AGAIN! LAUGHING AT YOUR DEATH, THEN DIGGING IN!" The cat snarled. "Now your tied into this job unless by some miracle you find another way out of this hellhole, ahuhuu! Aheeehehehehe, AHAHAHAHA! OHOHOHO!" The cat snapped into insanity, but Redtail stayed firm.

"Feast on my corpse? You sick cat! How can you run a company for kits when you wish to feast on their bones?" He said.

"Kits are too tender, _nooo,_ they get me in trouble. Kits die too fast. Don't take job. I leave now. You go die today, OK? Aheheheh,hahahaha!" His tone, his sudden clips of sentences insanely snapping into his voice made Redtail shudder, and he jumped at the cat, who quickly dodged and ran out, mewling about how he wanted a snack so badly, but wasn't willing to die for it. Redtail sighed- he still had another hour as he sat down. He flicked through the cams, knowing the mice were good for now, they would stay good until twelve, when the mice's timer would run out. He flicked to the P&S room and halted. Something had flickered the lights, moving... what was awake now? It looked like it was on two paws unlike the others. Shuddering, he flicked to the next camera over- and was met with a blur, lights flickering. The camera clunked out as if hit by something tall. He pounded different camera buttons, only getting the same result. What was awake? Hawkfrost was asleep in the Out of order place (he forgot that stage's name) and the others were also down. Everything was fine. he flicked the camera down for a second as it glitched out, showing the face of a cat similar to Hawkfrost, but with amber eyes and different stripes. He gasped at this, jumping onto the floor. The camera went to normal, and he was met with another chunking noise, the camera going black. "WHAT IS HERE!?" He screamed, then turned to the nearest door as it swept past the Supply Closet- but the creature was only there for a second, disappearing a second after the lights turned on. Redtail gasped in horror at what he saw before him.

He had seen a bear.

 **A/N**

 **Oooh! So exciting! We all know who this mysterious creature is, but why does he move around so fast? What does he want from or with Redtail? Why does he move so fast? we'll find out sooner or later!**

 **Also, I want to say that in the first chapter I wanted the cats to be anthro and more modern, like in Mama Tad's animations on YouTube. I changed this slightly to where the reason there was any technology was because the place was in an abandoned Twoleg nest, and was more within my comfort zone. Sorry bout that.**

 **FREE MUDKIPS FOR EVERYONE! TAMBRY OUT!**


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